National Weather at 4pm November 18 2004

[Jeb]

Mild conditions persist in East, changes brewing in West

4:02 P.M. ET 11/18/2004

 

R. Hulecki, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

 

 

Midwest

Another dreary day is in store for the Midwest on Friday. The weakening upper-level storm that brought heavy rain to Texas will spread rain and showers from Nebraska to Michigan as it treks toward the Great Lakes on Friday. Even under dense clouds, temperatures will stay above average from the Dakotas to the Ohio River Valley for at least another day. Afternoon highs will range from the mid 40s from North Dakota to the 60s in Missouri. By Saturday, several weak weather disturbances will transverse the Midwest keeping the region cloaked in clouds with scattered showers. With a persistent upper-level ridge slowly creeping to the east, above average highs will linger through the weekend. Afternoon highs on Saturday will range from the 60s in Ohio and Missouri to the 30s in the Dakotas.

 

South

Showers associated with the Midwest system will spill into the Mid-Atlantic on Friday as they ride along a weak warm front. Light to moderate rain is expected from Tennessee to the Virginia coast. Along the tail end of the weak cold front, scattered showers and a few rumbles of thunder are likely from Alabama to the Texas Gulf Coast on Friday. Clouds will remain spread across the South from Texas to the Atlantic Coast; the best chance to see the sun will be in south Florida and the Florida Keys on Friday. Even under a large blanket of clouds afternoon highs will run 5 to 10 degrees above average across most of the South with the 60s in Tennessee to the 80s around south Texas and south Florida. Highs will warm slightly on Saturday with the 70s into Tennessee and the 80s poking into south Georgia. Scattered showers will remain in the forecast for the South through the weekend with weak weather disturbances moving through the region.

 

Northeast

Mild temperatures will linger in the Northeast on Friday as the upper-level ridge of high pressure pushes to the east. Highs will run from the upper 50s along the coast to the 30s in northern Maine. Cloud cover will remain entrenched across southern sections of Northeast as small disturbances move across the region. Showers will accompany the disturbances in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware on Friday. Showers will encroach on New York City by Friday night. A weak high pressure system will sink into the Northeast on Friday bringing sunshine and mild temperatures to New England. The chance for showers will increase on Saturday from the Finger Lakes region of New York to the New Jersey Shore.

 

West

A vigorous storm system moving into the Pacific Northwest will bring rain to valley locations and snow to the mountains of the northern Rockies on Friday. A high pressure system will follow in the wake of this storm system wedging cold Canadian air into the western high plains and the central Rockies by Saturday. Just behind this initial upper-level system is a secondary storm that will dive south into California and strengthen the digging trough in the West. The combination of the wedging high pressure and the diving upper-level storm system will set the stage for a Four Corner snow event this weekend. Temperatures in the Intermountain West will begin to fall into the 30s on Friday. By Saturday temperatures will run about 10-15 degrees below average from Nevada to New Mexico. Southern California and the deserts of Arizona are the locations where the sun will prevail this weekend.